The Strangest Wings
by KaiaSnowfall
Summary: James hadn't meant to take on the responsibility of a child. It just happened, more or less. "'I'm going to get you out of here.' WHAT. Where had that come from?" Basically, Winter with an odd kid that he doesn't quite know how to care for. ON HIATUS.
1. Verification

_RATED T FOR LANGAUAGE, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK_

 _I NO OWN MARVEL OR ANY THING TO DO WITH THEM._

 _If I did Cap and Winter would wear a swimsuit for a uniform and totally rock it!_

 _\\\\\\\\\o.o/_

 _Honestly, how did hydra_ _find_ _these places?_

It was all he could think about, looking over yet another base. Located near some backwater town on the border between Kansas and Oklahoma, it didn't seem to hold anything important. So far, there hadn't been much movement and he hadn't recognized any of the few people he saw marching about. That wasn't too unusual for him, however, and he thought back to the last hydra base he had 'visited'. There hadn't been anyone with a clearance level to know anything about him. The only person who might have some knowledge on the subject had been sent here, to research some new project. But so far, he hadn't seen the woman. While he was patient, he had been studying this compound for almost three weeks. Is it really any wonder as to why the man's mind began to drift?

His mind immediately jumped back to the moment he had stepped away from the blond man lying on the side of the river. It was then that he knew he was free. The word had never applied to him before. Oh, he'd have a choice in what weapons or method to use in taking down a mark, but being free to choose anything? Anything at all in every part of his life? The thought near paralyzed him in the realization of the true meaning of freedom. No one would give him a mission, tell him what to do or how to do it. The thought should have been comforting, but instead, it inspired a wave of panic. He was alone, with no one to guide him in this strange new world that he didn't quite understand. It's not as if hydra cared to keep him updated on the times. They only taught him enough to keep him useful as the world grew to love its new technology more and more. Now he was left trying to figure out how he could fit in, trying to figure out the tech they'd deemed unnecessary for him to know how to use. Sometimes he felt it was hopeless, there was no way he could catch up on god-knows-how-many years of innovation.

 _Stop._

He couldn't survive if he was floundering about in fear. He'd made it through six months, hadn't he? He's gotten across half the country searching for answers. Apparently, hydra had found the details on him too important to keep on a computer and now he was attempting to follow paper trails for information of how he became the winter soldier. So he'd made that his next mission, finding out more about the machine. The terrible device that had stolen his memories, forging him into a monster with no- he really needed to better control his thoughts. Let's stick to the facts. He needed to know if what the machine had done was reversible. Also, the bush he was using for cover was starting to make him itch. Somehow, the sharp little leaves had found their way inside of the suit, and was making him want to break the silence by scratching himself like he had fleas.

*BANG*

 _Well, that's one way to break the silence. At least something's happening._

He watched as a young woman in a lab coat slammed the side door of the building. Obviously a scientist; he was going to have to get a look at her face before he could tell if she was who he was looking for. He could only see her long brown hair and her back, right now. A guard followed her and stood to the side as she began ranting.

"I can't believe this! They tell me that they've got something of power, unbridled power. And what do I get? A child! A kid with weird hair does not make for an alien! What the hell am I supposed to do with it?" She sighed.

"Why are there so many idiots in the world? God, I need a smoke." She proceeded to pull out a cigarette and a lighter and set about fulfilling her addiction's demands. After a few moments, she got it to light and settled her back against the building to breathe in her cancer stick. Now that he'd seen her face, he was certain. The brown haired woman was Dr. Rachel Vernes. Apparently, her move had to do with some poor child who'd been mistaken as a valuable new object of research. Somewhere deep inside, a part of him felt uneased by the thought. A kid in the clutches of hydra was either going to grow up loyal to the cause or be killed for their knowledge. He shook off the odd moment of sentimentality and thought about how best to capture the doctor. Being on the other side of a fence with constant video monitoring and a guard posted on each corner was not conducive to him having a little 'chat' with her.

Eh, he'd faced worse things before. Now that he had verification that she was here, he was ready to retrieve her and shut this place down for good. Now how best to do that? Well, he had always liked walking away with a bang. With that thought in mind, he waited until both the scientist and the guard had gone back inside. Then, he slowly started heading back to the little town 16 miles away. Rubbing his hands, he thought:

 _Time to make an explosive._

 _ **A/N**_

 _ **I knoooow, how can I start another story while still at the beginning a different one? I haven't given up on**_ _ **Foreign**_ _ **, I just haven't fleshed out the plot enough to write the next chapter. Chapter two sets up some things I won't be able to change later on, so I have to be certain that everything is right.**_

 _ **I'm taking a different approach with this story. It's going to be fairly short, and I've already written up the next few chapters. I have this road map of where it's going and even ideas on a sequel. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself, but you can be sure that this story will be updated much more regularly. I'll post a chapter once a week.**_

 _ **Anyhoo, criticism is well appreciated! If anyone is enjoying the story, let me know. I might just post the next chapter early, since this one doesn't even have the child in it.**_


	2. Best Laid Plans

**_I OWN NADA. EXCEPT FOR THE OCs._**

He was a little worried about finding the materials for the bombs in such a small town, but of course, the place had a Walmart. He didn't need to look further. After compiling the odd assortment of ingredients in different groups and checking out at a couple of tills to avoid suspicion, he returned to the Darner Motel.

Darner Motel was small, out of the way, and nondescript, or, in other words, perfect. He nodded at the young teen at the desk and made his way to room 107. It didn't take long to make the little explosives. Laying on the bed he closed his eyes and did his best to avoid dreams of his victims.

 _\\\\\\\\\o.o/_

The next morning found him woke and prepared. Grabbing his homemade explosives as well as an assortment of guns and sliding into his suit, he decided to use the car for easy movement of the target.

 _Short circuit the fence._

It had been something he learned in the early seventies. Short-circuiting a fence isn't too hard when one has a metal stake, copper wire, water, and a crocodile clip.

 _Enter the courtyard._

Simple, they should have cut down the trees. He starting to wonder if this place was really hydra, or, at least, if someone was eventually going to be terminated for their negligence. More than likely, they would receive due punishment when they figured out how he had gotten in .The guards switched out, and he vaulted over.

 _Disable the technological security._

He had done this at the motel. The laptop he had stolen from some poor geek in Wichita was proving very useful. Clicking the button in his pocket, he quietly slipped through the same door the scientist had so very kindly left unlocked yesterday. Some cameras had started spazzing out occasionally in a seemingly random pattern across the screens. The monitor wrote it off as nothing more than static. Quietly, he moved through the halls.

 _Set the bombs._

He found the six main weak points in the building and attached the devices to the walls. Ensuring the detonator was not in a position to set off the explosives without his _express_ permission, he set off towards the R &E portion of the compound.

 _Locate and neutralize the target._

There, an office with her name and a voice floating out. Listening for a moment to make sure she was alone, he pushed the door open. He immediately strode towards the doctor sitting on her desk with a pencil in hand. The woman's eyes went wide and her mouth opened to scream. He slid his hand around her throat and held on until she passed out.

"Who are you?"

Was someone in here? He'd listened and glanced around as he had entered but there hadn't been any- oh. Well, he hadn't thought to look so low. It was a little girl, perhaps the same one the scientist in his arms had been complaining about yesterday. She certainly hadn't been lying about her hair, short strands of soft grey. She blinked and he realized that her eyes were an almost colorless shade of silver. Her skin was pale and she seemed fragile. She was like no child he could remember seeing before. Especially since she wasn't crying, just waiting for an answer. She had asked a question, hadn't she?

"I'm going to get you out of here."

Wait, WHAT? Where had that come from? He had meant to say something like be quiet, or stay here, or even just a cold glare to frighten her. Maybe that little bit of sentimentality was stronger than he thought…

But now she was nodding, and a little smile had found its way onto her face. She seemed fairly calm for someone who'd been a captive, maybe hydra had been kind to her? If so, why was she willing to leave with him, he'd just strangled someone!

"I need to touch you first." Her small hand almost touched his metal arm and he was jerking back before a conscious thought could form.

 _Escape._

"Touch me? No. I need to go." He walked to the door and kept up a steady pace as he carried the doctor from the base. Honestly, he expected the girl to fear him and maybe run screaming the other direction. It was a little worrying to find her nearly running beside him. He would have slowed down if the timing wasn't so important. She managed to stay near his side, though. All the way until hey reached the fencing. He easily scaled it and turned to leave.

"I can't climb real well." ..This is why he planned. So he didn't have to deal with surprises that could screw up the whole thing. Those silver eyes of hers bore into him and managed to find something he thought had been shocked out of him long ago. With an air of world-weariness, he set the doctor down. Scaling the wall again, he scooped the child in his arms before crossing the same fence for the fourth time.

He near dropped her on the ground before replacing her weight in his arms with the doctor, who just so happened to be much heavier. Kid was really messing with his timing. The guard that watched during this time was starting to wake. He hiked back to the car with an unconscious woman in his arms and a grade-schooler by his side.

"Can I touch you now?" Was she really still on about that?

"No."

"But I need to. What if you're not safe?"

"I doubt touching me is going to make me less of a serial killer, doll." He blinked. His mouth and his mind were definitely not communicating correctly. He shouldn't call her doll, she could get attached. It'd be harder to drop her off at some orphanage if she was crying the whole way.

She looked thoughtful for a moment. After a moment, her hand shot out and touched the arm carrying the scientist. He was starting to think she had planned to be on that side so he couldn't stop her without dropping some important cargo.

"Are you happy now?"

"Mm-hmm, your heart is warm. It's cooled off a bit but it's better than hers is." She pointed a finger at Dr. Vernes.

He sincerely doubted his heart was 'warm'. He doubted it still existed. But if it kept the kid calm, he'd let her believe it.

"What's your name?" Isn't that a loaded question? He could say Bucky, what the blond man had called him. He refused to say Winter Soldier, as hydra had called him. Somehow he didn't feel as though either fit.

"James." He was near whispering.

"Mr. James? I like it." The little smile returned.

 ** _A/N_**

 _Woo! I'm on time! Not early, not late. Just how I like it._

 _We finally get to meet the second main character and yep, the story image is my pixel version of her. I could try actually drawing her but then you'd see just how much I suck at sketching..._

 _I'd really appreciate any criticism about her. I'm basing her in part off of my 4 yrs old nephew but they're very different. I don't want her personality to be inconsistent._

 _Anyhoo, thanks for reading!_


	3. Hiatus

Unfortunately, I'm placing this fic on hiatus until I get some control back in my life. If I do update, it will be extremely irregular and probably rare.


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